Hyderabad, Jan 5 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati arrived here Saturday evening on a two-day visit aiming to expand her Bahaujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) base in Andhra Pradesh.
Immediately after her arrival, she began talks with leaders of various groups in an attempt to forge a broader alliance of Dalits, minorities and upper castes.
Former union minister and MP A. Narendra held talks with Mayawati at a hotel. The leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (Narendra) will formally join the BSP at a public meeting to be addressed by Mayawati here Sunday.
Narendra, who floated his own party after he was expelled from the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) over his alleged involvement in a human trafficking racket, told reporters that Mayawati assured him of the BSP’s support to the demand for separate statehood to Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
Mayawati will continue talks with leaders of smaller parties and various caste groups Sunday before addressing the public meeting at the Nizam College Grounds.
The BSP has been trying to get a foothold in Andhra Pradesh, which is largely dominated by the Congress party and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party.
BSP state leaders said the party would try to bring together scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and upper castes – a successful formula adopted by the party in Uttar Pradesh.